Nationality American Role Activist | Name Karen Davis Years active 1983–present | |
Born February 4, 1944 (age 80) ( 1944-02-04 ) Altoona, Pennsylvania Alma mater University of Maryland, College Park Occupation Writer, animal rights advocate Website United Poultry Concerns Education University of Maryland, College Park Residence Machipongo, Virginia, United States | ||
Organizations founded United Poultry Concerns | ||
Dr karen davis on becoming an activist
Karen Davis (born February 4, 1944) is an American animal rights advocate, and president of United Poultry Concerns, a non-profit organization founded in 1990 to address the treatment of domestic fowl – including chickens, turkeys, and ducks – in factory farming. Davis also maintains a sanctuary.
Contents
- Dr karen davis on becoming an activist
- Karen davis animal rights conference 2009 in los angeles
- Background
- Activism
- Publications
- References
She is the author of several books on veganism and animal rights, including Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry (1997) and The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities (2005). Karen Davis also has written the foreword to Michael Lanfield recent book, The Interconnectedness of Life, which was released December 6, 2014.
Karen davis animal rights conference 2009 in los angeles
Background
Davis was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania; her parents were Amos and Mary Elizabeth Davis. Amos was the Blair County District attorney from 1966 to 1975. Davis graduated from Hollidaysburg Area High School in 1962. She studied for her undergraduate degree at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. Davis obtained her PhD in English from the University of Maryland, College Park. She also taught English at the University of Maryland while she started United Poultry Concerns. Davis married Dr. George Allan Cate (deceased). She has three brothers: Tim Davis of Palo Alto, California, Amos Davis of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Andrew Davis of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
Activism
Davis regularly addresses the annual National Animal Rights conferences, and was inducted in July 2002 into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame "for outstanding contributions to animal liberation." Since 1999, she and United Poultry Concerns have hosted six conferences on farmed animal advocacy issues. She launched a campaign against National Public Radio's This American Life for its annual "Poultry Slam" show, arguing that host Ira Glass was contributing to the poor treatment and slaughter of chickens and turkeys. Eventually, Glass visited Davis's sanctuary and announced on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2008 that he had become a vegetarian thanks to Davis.
Davis is one of several people who provided information used in the writing of the book Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism (2008) by Mark Hawthorne.
Davis paid for an advertisement in the New York Times in protest at the practice of killing chickens in the streets of New York during the Yom Kippur ritual of kapparot.